Free Republic

Viewership for the Republican National Convention plunged sharply on its second night compared with the same evening of 2008, when Sarah Palin made her debut as the vice presidential nominee. An average of 21.9 million viewers tuned into the nine broadcast and cable networks that were broadcasting convention proceedings Wednesday night between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m., according to Nielsen. That was 41% less than the 37.2 million who tuned in the same night four years ago, the research firm said.

Siberians fear minus 30 is too warm for comfort By Julius Strauss in Yuchyugay (Filed: 05/03/2005) The afternoon high is a little below minus 30 degrees Celsius an hour outside the small Siberian settlement of Yuchyugay, even in the pale winter sun. But at this time of the year, locals say with a frown, it should be a steady minus 50. As cars roll across the wide, frozen rivers, traces of running water show where the current runs so fast that the ice melts, a phenomenon, the locals insist, that should only occur much later in the season. Environmental research...